White Sox Minor League Update: May 20, 2021

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Normally this is where I’d say the Knights avoided a sweep to the Durham Bulls, but this is 2021 and we’re not doing weak little three-game series anymore, we are seeing teams for a bloated SIX games at a stretch, so instead, Charlotte will look to even the series tomorrow and go from there. After a bumpy start to the season, the Knights are now the winners of six of their last nine and are one game under .500.

Félix Paulino — importantly, not the same person as Felipe Paulino, whom I apologize for even bringing up — took the mound with the hopes of continuing to work off his first outing of the year, an ugly seven-run, ⅔-inning misadventure. This will likely be a season-long effort; between his last start and today, he’s gone 10 ⅓ innings, giving up six hits and just two runs (both earned), walking four and striking out 10, but his ERA has only made it down to 7.36. Welcome to Triple-A ball.

One of the two runs Paulino allowed today was inherited and let in by Jacob Lindgren, a lefty who’s been working his way back from two consecutive Tommy John surgeries since he had the second one in 2018. Because of this, he’s been older and more experienced than the opposition in the leagues in which he played in 2019, so while he did put up strong numbers with the Dash and the Intimidators (RIP), it’s hard to tell how his stuff will play now that he’s back in Triple-A. Tonight, it did not play well, as he walked three in two-thirds of an inning, allowing Paulino’s run to score and a run of his own. It was part of a nine-walk night for Knights pitching.

Most offensively, Brian Goodwin — he of the post-Luis-Robert-injury depth signing —provided depth indeed, going deep not just once but twice; of his eight hits on the season, three of them are home runs and three are doubles. Meanwhile, the Blake Rutherford Renaissance, a phrase I am positive I have typed before in a bygone version of the world, continued surging as the left fielder picked up two singles and a double, bumping his average up to .314. Zach Remillard went 1-for-4 in his Triple-A debut, playing shortstop, and Mikie Mahtook (“FoolOfMahtook” when chatting with WordUpThome in The Dugout, surely) also went 1-for-4 with a double. Gavin Sheets walked and was thrown out trying to take an extra base on Tim Beckham’s eight-inning, bases loaded, go-ahead single.

Also, this happened! Neat:

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The only good outcome tonight was in Triple-A (spoilers, I guess?), as despite late drama, the Barons went to 1-2 in the series against the Montgomery Biscuits. Konnor Pilkington, who in 2019 dominated Kannapolis and was himself dominated in Winston-Salem, had another strong start. In all three of his so far this year, he’s gone exactly five innings, giving up one run apiece in the first two and two runs today. It did take him 89 pitches to do so (54 strikes), as he walked three and gave up six hits while striking out five. J.B. Olson’s rude introduction to Double-A continues, responsible for two runs in 1 ⅔ innings, and Andrew Perez, who shone at both A-ball levels in 2019 despite a high BB/9, was touched up for one run in his walkless 1 ⅓ innings. Bennett Sousa, who also pitched well in 2019, contributed a scoreless inning.

Ian Dawkins, skipping Winston-Salem after a strong 2019 campaign entirely with Kannapolis, singled twice, as did versatile fielder JJ Muno, one of his an RBI. Carlos Pérez, playing first as Gunnar Troutwine got the start behind the plate, had two hits of his own, one a solo shot in the sixth inning, one a single. Craig Dedelow’s OPS tumbled to just 1.143 as he went 0-for-4.

A 10-pitch at-bat for Zack Granite ended in a pop-up for the final out of the game, stranding Joel Booker (single) and Troutwine (also single (as in, they hit singles. I have no information on the relationship status of either player)). Despite the outcome, the Barons are performing better than any other Sox minor league team, with a 10-5 record.

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Box score here

The Dash had a dismal first series, dropping four of six, then recovered with a five-of-six series win the next week, and now have dropped the first three (of six, if you couldn’t guess) to the Jersey Shore Blueclaws, a team whose surfing mascot’s snarl tells me they are a Brandiose rebrand. Isaiah Carranza, a 6´5´´, 180-pound righty, went four innings and gave up three runs, one too many for the Winston-Salem team to overcome. Carranza was the 12th round pick out of the 2018 draft and this is his first season pitching in the system.

In relief, Luke Shilling’s dominant start to the season continued: He added two scoreless innings to his season-long scoreless streak, now totaling 6 ⅓ IP, and struck out four to give him nine total on the year. Like Carranza, Shilling was drafted in the teens in 2018 (15th round) and did not pitch in the 2019 season. Caleb Freeman, drafted in the 15th round in 2019, added a scoreless inning to bring his ERA down to 1.50.

At the plate, most Dash are having a tough time, most notably Bryce Bush, who went hitless in five at-bats and struck out three times. Yolbert Sánchez, whose hot start ran into an 0-for-13 skid before walking and then singling in a run today, has seen his average descend to .229 and has yet to record an extra-base hit. Evan Skoug picked up a sacrifice RBI and two hits, including a double, and his 2-for-2 day lifted his average only to .190. On the bright side, Lázaro Leal, one of the handful of 2019 DSL players who made it through to be assigned to a Stateside affiliate this year, went 1-for-4 and is batting .278 on the year. Luis Curbelo, who’s been providing most of the team’s power with five home runs and three doubles on the year, contributed a single today.

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Box score link

It is not a good time to be a Cannon Baller. It’s tempting to leave you with that and their record — now 1-14 — but as White Sox followers, I understand that we have a masochistic streak. The very young Ballers (four teenagers on the roster!), stocked with interesting prospects who should mostly be a level lower if such an option still existed, have been struggling at the plate and also on the mound and also in the field. All three of these areas were on full display on Thursday night, as they gave up seven runs, scraped together only four hits, and committed three errors.

Yoelvin Silven made his second start and third appearance of the season, and found himself in trouble starting in the first inning and continuing throughout his outing. Two errors, one by Benyamin Bailey in left field and one by Silven himself, plus two balks, four hits, and four walks, gave Silven a grimace-worthy stat line, although only two of the five runs he surrendered were earned. Dilmer Mejía pitched 2 ⅔ innings and gave up one run, lowering his ERA to 7.71. Ty Madrigal (of those Madrigals) also gave up a run in the same number of innings.

José Rodriguez has been the sole Baller (I will not refer to them as Cannonballers because it is not accurate) to hit comfortably at the level, which he is reaching after strong showings in the DSL in 2018 and the AZL in 2019. Actually, get this: His batting average was .291 in 2018, .293 in 2019, and going into today’s game, his 2021 average was .293. (accompanied by a robust .359 OBP and not quite as robust .431 slugging). Anyway, that’s ruined now, because he was responsible for a full half of Kanny’s hits, singling and doubling, and is batting .306. Bailey, who has been struggling mightily with the bat after an incredibly impressive age-17 season in the DSL in 2019, brought his average up to .128 (OPS .403) with a single, and Iván González, the eighth round pick in 2019, also singled to lift his average to .152 (OPS .434). The team struck out 17 times and walked not at all.

Their one win on the season remains a 1-0 victory on May 15.